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“Kathy has served the district for more than 22 years and brings tremendous value and experience to our district. This achievement is an important milestone for her and we are incredibly proud of her work and dedication to continuing education,” says Andy Bradford, interim Superintendent.

Van Pay has served in her current position in De Pere since August 2023. She oversees more than $1 million in grants and curriculum budgets; leads the district’s literacy and math teams; and works with cross-functional groups to develop and implement 4K–12 comprehensive literacy and math plans. In addition, Van Pay manages the district’s 4K and before/after school programming.

Previously, Van Pay was principal at De Pere’s Heritage Elementary School from 2008-2023; principal at King Elementary School in Green Bay from 2005-2008; and has classroom teaching experience in the Shawano and Houston, TX, school districts.

She holds an honorary associate fellowship at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for her research on Leadership for Learning and was a Herb Kohl Principal Leadership Award recipient in 2023.

During her tenure in De Pere, elementary and intermediate student achievement has consistently improved as measured by state and national test scores. For the past several years De Pere has been among the top ten 4K-12 school districts in Wisconsin for academic achievement. 
 

School districts must apply to the Wisconsin Dept. of Public Instruction to offer the program. The 2025-2026 school year was the first time De Pere High School made the honor available to students.

“We are thrilled to provide this prestigious recognition program in our District,” said Director of Secondary Curriculum and Instruction Nick Joseph. “We look forward to continuing to recognize and celebrate the diverse languages of our students in our District community, and to provide students with an additional credential as they move on to life after high school.”

Earning the Seal helps students stand out after graduation with diverse cultural and linguistic abilities. Recipients use these skills in their educational and career plans, paving the way for more opportunities in the future. 

The Seal is awarded to graduating seniors, but students may begin working toward completion at any time during their enrollment at De Pere High School.
 

He fills the vacancy created by the late April departure of Superintendent Christopher Thompson.

Bradford has been the Principal at Foxview since 2008. During his tenure, the school received the prestigious National Blue Ribbon School designation for academic excellence. Previously, Bradford was Foxview’s assistant principal. He has also served as a classroom teacher and coach. Bradford has a master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Cardinal Stritch University, and is on track to complete the Education Specialist/Superintendent master’s degree program at UW-Superior later this year. 

“I’m humbled and honored  for the opportunity to help maintain and continuously improve the mission of our highly successful school district,” said Bradford. “De Pere is well-regarded as a result of the hard work of our staff, our leadership team, our students and our community from whom we receive so much support. I take the responsibility of upholding that tradition very seriously.”
 

Each year, the organization evaluates more than 18,000 schools across the country. Rankings are based on six indicators of school quality:

• College readiness
• Breadth of curriculum
• Scores on state proficiency tests
• Performance in reading, math, and science
• Underserved student performance
• Graduation rates

The weighted scores of those six indicators are transformed so each eligible school receives an overall percentile score between zero and 100. De Pere's score was 93.28. High schools are ranked against peers in descending order of their overall scores. Read more about US News and World Report's ranking methodology.

"We appreciate the recognition," says De Pere High School Principal Roger Allen. "It is one more data point that reflects the hard work being done by our students and staff with the support of families and the broader De Pere community."